A Look At The NFL Pro Bowl

Christine O'Connor

@christineeeeO

​Image Credit: nflcommunications.com

The NFL held its coin toss leading up to the 2015 Pro Bowl on Tuesday, and NFL Media's Michael Irvin won.

Following Tuesday’s press conference and initial captain selections, 26 players (13 per team) were subject to pre-draft selection from the position groups: guards, centers, fullbacks, interior defensive linemen, placekickers, punters, return specialists, and special team players. 

The second-ever Pro Bowl Draft will continue with 56 players yet to be selected during a nationally televised primetime broadcast on NFL Network at 8:00 PM ET on Wednesday, January 21. The 2015 Pro Bowl Draft is being held at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix. All 88 Pro Bowl players are expected to be in attendance for Wednesday’s live show. won the coin toss and chose the pair of Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray and Cleveland Browns cornerback Joe Haden as his captains. Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter in turn has Texans star defensive end J.J.Watt and Steelers receiver Antonio Brown.

The captains are determined by being the players receiving the most votes among those no longer playing after the Divisional Round who are also healthy and participating. In this instance, J.J Watt, the defensive player receiving the most votes, was paired with the offensive player receiving the second most votes and meeting the above criteria, which was Antonio Brown. The offensive player receiving the most votes and meeting the requirements (DeMarco Murray) was paired with Joe Haden.

​Image Credit: timesunion.com 

TEAM CARTER (THROUGH DAY 1 PRE-SELECTION)

WIDE RECEIVERS 

Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh (Captain)

GUARDS  

Evan Mathis, Philadelphia

Mike Pouncey, Miami

Josh Sitton, Green Bay

CENTERS

Jason Kelce, Philadelphia

Maurkice Pouncey, Pittsburgh

FULLBACK 

John Kuhn, Green Bay

DEFENSIVE ENDS

J.J. Watt, Houston (Captain)

INTERIOR DEFENSIVE LINEMEN

Marcell Dareus, Buffalo

Dontari Poe, Kansas City

Kyle Williams, Buffalo

SPECIALISTS

Justin Bethel, Arizona

Devin Hester, Atlanta

Pat McAfee, Indianapolis

Cody Parkey, Philadelphia

TEAM IRVIN (THROUGH DAY 1 PRE-SELECTION)

RUNNING BACKS

DeMarco Murray, Dallas (Captain)

GUARDS

Kyle Long, Chicago 

Zack Martin, Dallas 

Marshal Yanda, Baltimore

CENTERS

Travis Frederick, Dallas 

Nick Mangold, New York Jets

FULLBACK

Marcel Reece, Oakland

CORNERBACKS

Joe Haden, Cleveland (Captain)

INTERIOR DEFENSIVE LINEMEN

Geno Atkins, Cincinnati

Aaron Donald, St. Louis

Sheldon Richardson, New York Jets

SPECIALISTS

Kevin Huber, Cincinnati

Darren Sproles, Philadelphia

Darrell Stuckey, San Diego

Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis

Nike unveiled the jerseys for Sunday:

​Image Credit: bleacherreport.com

The Disappointing Brooklyn Nets and the Disgraceful New York Knicks.

Image Credit: EliteDaily.com

By: Kai Jones

Edited by: Dana P. (E.I.C.) 

New York City, the city of big lights, big dreams, and big expensive underperforming basketball teams. Anyone that follows basketball knows that the New York Knicks are in the words of Charles Barkley, “TURRIBLE!” The Brooklyn Nets aren’t quite as bad as the Knicks, because they are in the Eastern Conference. They are still one game under .500. Brooklyn is currently in the 8th spot of the eastern conference. Let’s not get into the despair of the Eastern Conference, where one win the Philadelphia 76ers are 7 games back of the 8th spot! Can either team get back to the near top of the Eastern conference,  where both of them were just 2 seasons ago?

Can the New York Knicks? Probably not. Willis Reed is not walking through those doors. On the brighter side, if the Knicks start to understand the Triangle offense and are able to get healthy, they could make the playoffs. 

Experienced veterans JR Smith, Samuel Dalembert, and Jose Calderon have not played up to their career averages. Calderon is especially surprising as he’s been a great point guard wherever he has been. 

Carmelo Anthony has been performing well. The Knicks do have young talent, but if they are going to make the playoffs, Derek Fisher needs to find the right lineups ASAP! 

The Nets are a little closer to the top considering they’re in the playoffs as of right now. This is a team of overpaid, aging veterans. Jarrett Jack and Kevin Garnett have not played up to their contracts. While Deron Williams and Joe Johnson have played well, they are going to have to continue their winning ways of the past few days when they beat the defending champs. 

It sure is sad to be a New York sports fan lately. The Jets and Giants are eliminated from the playoffs, the Mets and Yankees aren’t splashing in free agency, the Knicks can't win, but there is potential hope with the Nets. Brooklyn, we go hard!

Update on The New York Giants and New York Rangers Courtsey of DOINow.com

This picture has been included to make me laugh and to make my friends to shake their heads!
Thank you for visiting DOInow.com, I appreciate you taking time out to check out my random thoughts and opinions in the sports world. Make sure to check out the archives for columns on Frank Boucher, Anthony Duclair, NY Jets, Carmelo Anthony, A-Roid, The Giants, WWE, The Rangers & more!

I am sick of everyone always saying "MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK", so for this piece we will go with the silly Tuesday Morning Hangover title, considering it took 18 beers to get through the NY sports events this past Monday night.

The Rangers just wrapped up another home game, with another shoot-out loss this past Monday night. This was going to be a tough test for the Rangers, considering they were missing many starters due to injuries and suspensions, as talked about in my last blog here on DOINow.com.

For a team featuring 7 non-starters (McIlrath, Talbot, Kotska, Malone, Hunwick, Allen, & Mueller), I thought the Rangers played a good game. The Rangers blew several opportunities at the net and there was no puck luck to be found. Poor Rick Nash, a league leader in goal scoring, missed his chance to hit the double digit mark in goals several times in the contest.

The Rangers, taking on the hot St. Louis Blues, were banged up, but I liked what I saw. Both Anthony Duclair and Kevin Hayes, the two young studs of the Rangers, are living up to their billing. Duclair assisted on Chris Kreider's first goal of the game while Hayes continues to create goal scoring opportunities. I am hoping both continue their level of play as I think they have the potential to be the cornerstones of the Blueshirts in seasons to come.

Matt Hunwick, receiving a ton of ice time this season due to the injury of Dan Boyle, continues to impress and plays a solid defensive game. He could be a diamond in the rough for the New York Rangers.

While Conor Allen, who played several games for the Blueshirts last year, had a defensively sound game, he didn't make much noise. His Hartford Wolfpack counterpart, defenseman Dylan McIlrath made his presence felt for the team, for better or worse.

I am a McIlrath fan. I think the Rangers need that goon who can make other teams fear playing dirty or being liberal with their checks. However, McIlrath takes way too many stupid penalties and needs to improve his speed. Whether McIlrath can figure out some discipline and hold his own cleanly remains to be seen. He is obviously nervous playing in the World's Most Famous Arena, but at some point, he needs to be accountable for his actions. Taking penalties, that lead to power-play goals, for the opposition will not be tolerated by Alain Vigneault.

A future Vezina Winner?

With fat cat Henrik Lundqvist getting the day off, rookie Cam Talbot held down the net for the second time this season. Cam Talbot, making nearly 1/20th the salary as the King, gave the Rangers the same result as this past Saturday night - a shootout loss in the third frame. Hank, making $8.5 Million this season compared to Talbot's half a million a year deal doesn't seem much of a deal, does it?

The Rangers, who could use some of Hank's exorbitant contract to sign some defensemen (How bad are Ranger fans missing Anton Stralman right now?) made the best of a bad situation, salvaging a point in last night's contest. However, it looked like the Rangers should've won the game, as they had several opportunities to put the game away in the third period during a scramble to the net and seemed to have a Nash OT goal winner.

Talbot, who this writer thinks is a great piece of talent to a fault, where I have an on-going joke with several friends about his abilities (Cam Talbot is so good that he cured cancer!) , put out a valiant effort, despite playing his second NHL game this season. The defense broke down several times, leading to soft goals for the Blues, but Talbot made incredible saves to keep the Rangers in the contest. Talbot was tested, and despite giving up 3 goals, made an incredible 31 saves.

If there is anything to worry about right now as a Ranger fan, sans the injuries, is the fact that the Rangers are still taking time to figure things out. The injuries are a major factor, but Ranger fans would rather this happen with the majority of the games on the road. The Rangers lead the league in home games played this season and with 10 in the month of November, the Rangers need to pick up two points on their home ice. Getting one-point moral victories in OT is nice on the road, but it is here, at home, that the Rangers need to make some noise. All these home games now, will lead to tough road games later on in the season.

Eli Manning, the man who possesses the worst body language in all of sports.

As much as I love my New York Rangers & New York Yankees, I am also a diehard Giants fan. However, I admit, it's time to throw in the towel. Despite injuries to division rival quarterbacks Tony Romo & Nick Foles, this Giants team will not make the playoffs for one simple reason - they can't defend the pass.

Last night's Monday Night Football contest between the red-hot Colts and Giants, was another example of the Giants having no pass defense whatsoever. Just like in the Philly and Dallas game, the Colts were seemingly 38433375734737 out of 38433375734737 on third down whenever they passed the ball. You can say whatever you want about the Giants missing their top two running backs (Wilson & Jennings) and their best receiver (Victor Cruz), but the fact is that the Giants allow more first downs during the opponent's third down than any other team in the league.

Who would've thought, that during week 9, in this year's NFL season, that the Buffalo Bills would have more wins than their "NY" counterparts combined?

The Colts threw the ball 85% of the time and had no issues doing so. The Giants swiss cheese pass defense allowed Andrew Luck to rape them like a drunk sorority girl at Ben Roethlisberger's house. They had 15 days to prepare for this game and instead were embarrassed like sharting yourself at a quiet, but packed funeral.

I can't blame Eli. Despite having the worst body language I've ever seen from an athlete in my fucking life (Check my archives for more on this subject), it's not his fault. You can't win games when the defense is on the field watching the chains move every 120 seconds. It's time to switch defensive coordinators, but at 3-5, in a tough division and with a tough schedule, it's not going to happen until next year.

For more on the article and similar articles to this, visit DOINOW.com

After A Huge Comeback, The Kansas City Royals Shut Out The Giants To Force Game 7 of the World Series

Image Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel, USA TODAY Sports

by: Dana Pellotta (E.I.C.)

It was a packed house full of energy, and the Kansas City Royals BATS full of POWER, in Kansas City last night. The game started with the Royals proving they refuse to lost this series! 

It took only til the second inning wear starting pitcher Peavy, was taken out of the game. Lincecum came to the rescue, and that still didn't stop those bats! 

The game ended in a 10-0 shut out, with the Royals tieing the series 3-3. 

Image Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

Game 7 starts in just about an hour. Who are you predicting will win the World Series tonight?

World Series Game 5: Cinderella vs Potential Dynasty

Image Credit: MLB.com

By: Kai Jones

The MLB postseason, like other professional sports postseason, are always exciting. Anything can happen: careers can be made and legacies can become stained at any instant. Reggie Jackson batted a humdrum .262, while he does have a membership to the highly acclaimed 500-homerun club, so does Harmon Killebrew (.256 batting average)- don’t know the name? Killebrew and Jackson have similar stats, and similar accolades, but what sets the two apart? The reason you don’t know Killebrew, aside from generation differences, is because Jackson is known as “Mr. October” and has 2 World Series MVPs to validate his name. Killebrew never won a World Series ring. And poor Bill Buckner forever lives in infamy for one moment, despite the fact that he was an above average player. Postseason performance can highly impact the legacy of an athlete.

And Pablo Sandoval of the Giants has caught my eye the most, considering the fact that he leads the NL Champion Giants in batting average. But this comes as no surprise considering the fact that MVP of the 2012 World Series. Sandoval is solidifying himself as a great postseason player after having a bad 2010 playoff run. Hunter Pence is also revitalizing his playoff legacy hitting as he is tied for most RBI’s on the Giants; he had a subpar 2012 postseason. These two plus the pitching of Madison Bumgarner and Yusmeiro Petit have the Giants in the World Series locked in a tight battle with the Cinderella Kansas City Royals. The Royals have been led by their bullpen and the play of Eric Hosmer and Lorenzo Cain. The teams took two similar paths, although of course different.

The Giants haven’t dominated quite like the Royals, but they have played well throughout the playoffs. While the Royals sweated it out in a 12-inning thriller against the Athletics, the Giants jumped on the Pirates in the 4^th inning and coasted to an 8-0 win. The Giants then played a young talented Nationals team in the Division Series; they of course won in 4 games, but all 3 wins came in one run games. The Giants then moved on to face the savvy St. Louis Cardinals; in the 5 games, every game was decided by 3 runs or less. Their resilience has come in handy versus the hot Royals.

The Royals came into the World Series on an 8 game win streak. After the Royals snuck past the Athletics, they faced the extravagant Angels. The Royals showed grit in the first two games, as both went eleven innings. The Royals then handled the Angels, 8-3 in the final game of the sweep. The Royals then had to face the Baltimore Orioles, a group similar to them in roster make up. The Orioles came in off of their sweep of postseason favorites Tigers. While the Royals swept the Orioles, every game was decided by 2 runs or less. While this postseason has been great, it seems like something is missing.

What are missing are the two biggest teams in the Major Leagues: the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. Then if their absence isn’t enough, how about the postseason disappointments of the Tigers, Athletics, Dodgers, and Angels. The Tigers and Athletics were thought to be the AL favorites after acquisitions of David Price and Jon Lester, respectively. The Angels and Dodgers were the big market teams who had big payrolls, and both failed to even make the Championship Series. Going back to legacy, the Dodger’s pitching ace Clayton Kershaw has 11 postseason games under his belt, but only one win and 5.12 ERA in the postseason. Kershaw a 2-time NL CY Young Award Winner, risks being dubbed as a poor postseason player if he cannot turn it around. On the opposite spectrum, Madison Bumgarner of the division rival Giants is cementing himself as a great postseason player.

With the great performance of Bumgarner in Game 5, the Giants go to Kansas City up 3-2. Kansas City has been a place full of ruckus for other teams this post season, as the Royals are 4-1 at home: the only lose coming to the Giants. Although, the Royals are at home, I think the grit and experience of the Giants will lead them to victory in Game 6. But if the Royals pull out Game 6, I don’t see the Giants being able to pull out another tough road win, especially since the Royals will have momentum and confidence. History supports this, as no road team has won a Game 7 since the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates. Will the Giants cement their dynasty with their 3^rd World Series win in 5 years, or will the Cinderella team get their glass slipper? 

Week 8 NFL, Picks, Storylines, Michael Sam, Mettenberger, Da Bears, and whole lot more

Wait for it. Wait for it. How ‘bout dem Cowboys? That is only the second time that phrase has been used here on Down the Line Sports and possibly not the last. The team is on fire and my pick for MVP, DeMarco Murray, is playing like is possessed. The entire offense is clicking on all cylinders and the defense is containing the opposing offenses. I expect the ‘Boys to get their next loss on November 23. They would be 9-1 going into that week 11 matchup with the New York Football Giants. By the way it has been a long time since I’ve heard a good Tony Romo joke.

Enough kissing up to Dallas! Congrats to Peyton Manning on overtaking Brett Favre as the all-time touchdown passer. Have a look at how many people he has thrown TD passes to.

By the way, that’s Peyton Manning not Gary Payton. Payton played in the NBA for the Seattle SuperSonics.

Week 8 Storylines

• Who are the Bengals and Bears? These two teams are pit-i-ful. Cincy has a great excuse A.J. Green has been injured and there really is no one that can take his place. The Bears need Jesus or whomever they collectively believe in.
• Will the real Atlanta Falcons please stand-up?
• Can Aaron Rodgers continue his hot streak against a pathetic New Orleans secondary?
• To the Cleveland Browns, please please please know that you are the Cleveland Browns. Why go for a first down last in the first half when you have the lead against the sorry Jags. Oh, and don’t be stupid. Brian Hoyer has been phenomenal quarterback for this team. Normally, the Brown would be 0-6, but because of him they are 3-3. Johnny Manziel has a comfortable seat on the bench don’t move him.
• Then, there are the Raiders.. Who cares??

Percy Harvin

Last week, Percy Harvin was traded from the Seattle Seahawks to the New York J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS. Reports are still coming out as to why he was traded. Some are saying that he was disagreeable and he did not get along with Russell Wilson. Harvin will now pay for his sins. Would I rather Russell Wilson pass me the ball or Geno Smith? Whatever idiot just said Geno please excuse yourself from this conversation.

To read more on this click here for information.

Michael Sam

The Dallas Cowboys released Sam earlier this week. He had been on the practice squad since the season started. The team picked him up because they had a lack of health on the defensive line. Now that the defenders are healthy it really makes no sense to keep him around. Before the season started we knew it would be hard for him to make a team. I’m sure it really wasn’t from a lack of skill and I’m also sure it wasn’t because he gay. Let’s be real. There is a reason this story has not made a lot of noise. Simply put, he’s not that good, but I hope he gets another chance.

What a return to great we had last week! Nobody expected the Rams or the Dolphins to win last week, so we didn’t lose that much ground. I really can’t complain. Considering now that I have a .700 winning percentage. Any who to the picks…

Last Week: 11-4

Total: 70-35-1

Byes: San Francisco & New York (N)

DENVER over San Diego

ATLANTA over Detroit   Game in London. Kickoff is at 8:30 AM Eastern.

Buffalo over NEW YORK (A)

Baltimore over CINCINNATI

NEW ENGLAND over Chicago

Miami over JACKSONVILLE

Minnesota over TAMPA BAY

Seattle over CAROLINA

TENNESSEE over Houston

KANSAS CITY over St. Louis

ARIZONA over Philadelphia

CLEVELAND over Oakland    If you watch this game you should be committed!

Indianapolis over PITTSBURGH

Green Bay over NEW ORLEANS

DALLAS over Washington

Please comment, as I value all opinions.

Make sure you follow the blog and also follow me on twitter @regisjwelch.

Have a great week!

NFL, MLB PostSeason, Plus Pre Season NBA & NHL; THE WEEKEND WRAP UP aka PANIC! PANIC! PANIC!

Image Credit: JimFeist.com

by: Sean McCaffrey

Twitter: @NYCTheMiC

BULLSMC@aol.com

In this world we live in, where we can put rocket ships in outer space, perform life changing surgeries and master baking cheese inside the crust of a pizza slice, it still baffles me how we can not create a phone that has a battery life of more than one hour. 

Yesterday, Sunday, October 12th, was a huge sports day for the NY area. Not only did the Giants & Jets play key games, the New York Rangers had their home opener. Carrying over from last season’s unexpected success, where even the most hardcore Ranger fan, like myself, has to admit the team overachieved a bit (Goalie injuries in both the Philly & Montreal series & avoiding the Bruins), the Rangers hosted “RANGERS BLUESHIRT BOULEVARD”. For the event, the Rangers shut down all of 33rd street from 7th to 8th Ave, and had numerous fan activities, live bands on a nice set and was just a great day to bond & enjoy laughs with other Ranger fans. The event started at 12pm and ended an hour before game time, at 6pm. While this was going on the Jets took the field as well.

For Jet fans, and as talked about in previous columns here, at HipHopShortstop.com, the Jets are just a mess. Jets fans have no reason to panic because there are really no expectations. It’s been the same cycle for 45+ years. The only difference between the Jets and a wife is that the Jets will always fuck you. It’s just what Jet fans are used to. How can you panic when you know the Jets will be rolled time and time again?

However, for the NY Giants & The NY Rangers, the two teams with the most success in recent years, as the Giants are the only team in the NFL to have won 2 Superbowls in the last 6+ years and the Rangers fresh off a Stanley Cup appearance, panic has set in. Or at least that’s the feeling I got when I finally got home from the Rangers game on Sunday night.

I should mention I got home an hour earlier than I expected, due to Hank laying a big fart & questionable officiating, so it was time for me to head to the LIRR after the second period. If the Rangers were in such a fan friendly mood, as evident by their “BLUESHIRT BLVD”, they should’ve gave a refund to every fan that attended last night’s crapfest. But we’re fans, win or lose, and you take the good with the bad.

Due to my phone battery lasting as long as a Walker extra on “The Walking Dead”, I couldn’t keep up with live play-by-play and fan reaction on social media at the game in between periods. To note, it’s amazing that no matter where we go in life, whether it’s a bar, restaurant, a bathroom, or where ever, our first thought is “WHERE ARE THE MOTHER FUCKING OUTLETS?” We live in a world where we crave and need to steal electricity where ever we are. Our precious phones consume our lives, and you are probably nodding your head, as you read this column on your phone.

My rant on these watt sucking contraptions aside, when I finally got home & rushed to my nearest outlet, I caught up on all the Giants & Ranger fan reaction. Being a diehard fan of both teams, and perhaps borderline obsessed, I read countless articles and fan comments on social media as the Eagles were blowing away the Giants.

Image Credit: NYDailyNews.com

It was nothing but doom and gloom, but fans of both squads need to remember several things. Going to the hockey first, the Rangers never have hot starts. Last year they were 3-7. The Rangers are also missing their starting center in Derek Stepan, their biggest free agent of the off-season, defensemen Dan Boyle & the straw that stirs the drink of the Rangers, Mats Zuccarello, was held out due to his physical play the night before. Being 1-2 is not the end of the world. You play 82 games.

What is cause for concern is how Henrik Lundqvist’s game has been exposed in recent games. No doubt about it, when it’s all said and done, King Henry or Hank, as he’s called by True Blue fans, is going to the Hockey Hall of Fame. He’s a great goalie. He’s just not the best goalie. Hank has had the fortune of having dedicated shotblockers (especially in the Coach Tort years) & superior defensemen, with the likes of McDonagh, Girardi & Staal. I am one of the Ranger fans that believe Jonathan Quick just flat outplayed him in the Stanley Cup. Hank is known to give up leads time and time again. In crunch time, I would rather Rask from Boston or Quick as my netminder.

That being said, hockey fans need to realize that the goaltending isn’t as elite as it was in previous generations, where defense was a strength. The NHL is always trying to increase scoring. The game gets harder and harder for goalies. This will always be the way, as high scoring games is how NHL executives think they can convert casual and new fans to their product. 

For the Ranger fans going crazy right now, relax. It’s only 3 games. The NHL is all about just making the playoffs, because once you’re in, anything can happen. Just look at the LA Kings two cup runs. Let the injuries, lines gelling and time pass, and you will see, the Rangers will be a top 3 seed.

Moving along to the NY Giants. The NY Giants talked more shit than any other game they’ve ever played, and in return, got a nice big heaping pile of crow to eat for their efforts. I can’t imagine how red Couglin’s face was during his closed doors meeting with the players after that pile of shit. This was the ugliest Giants game in a while, but the Giants are known for this. In recent Superbowl years, they’ve had piss-poor starts, only to make Tom Brady cry at the end of the season.

The old adage in football is “ANY GIVEN SUNDAY”. And it’s true. How many times have we seen under dogs win? Anything can happen. Just this past week alone, the mighty Steelers got rolled by the lowly Browns while the Cowboys, primed for their usual December collapse, handed the Superbowl defending champions, the Seattle Seahawks, a rare home loss.

Image Credit: Matt Rourke; Associated Press

Things aren’t looking good in Giants land, especially in the wake of Victor Cruz’s potential season-ending injury, but it’s hard to forget that last year, the Giants started 0-6 and if they could’ve beat Dallas in the latter weeks of the season, they could’ve potentially won the division. Up next on the docket, those same Dallas Cowboys.

For the Giants, you have to hope that this Philly ass raping, a raping that looked like it came straight out of “OZ”, is the raping they need to wake the fuck up. However, I do believe Eli Manning needs to be bitch-slapped unmercifully every time he does that stupid shoulder shrug or throws his hands up in the air after every bad play. But he has two Superbowl rings, which is 2 more than the Eagles have, so who am I to question his methods?

Calm down Giant fans, we’re in for a roller coaster. We have seen glimpses of greatness and know that this team can win on any given day. We’ve seen it before. Never doubt Tom Coughlin, a rare breed who despite his old age, always changes & adapts to the times. I would never bet against him. A win against Dallas, and everyone is puffing out their chests again. But, don’t forget, one win or one loss doesn’t define one team.

Image Credit: Brian Monzo/WFAN

QUICK NOTES:
- Happy to see the Alex Rodriguez of the NY Rangers, Rick Nash, starting off strong. People forget he was out 6 weeks and had post-concussionsymptoms last year. This is his first true healthy season with the blueshirts. It’s time to live up to that contract. So far, he’s been the player we all thought he would be.

- Anthony Duclair, who I wrote a piece about on here, at HipHopShortstop.com, has played 3 excellent games, already notching two assists. I’ve seen the kid play 4 times live. I think he’s the real deal. Let’s hope he continues at this level and isn’t a flash in the pan. The Rangers need to get young, and could use a legit bonafide young blood superstar. The second coming of Manny Maholtra would be a travesty.

- Poor, poor, poor Don Mattingly. The guy can’t catch a break. I must wonder if it rains where ever he goes too. He will probably lose his job over this latest collapse. Despite having the highest payroll in all of MLB, his teams can’t get into the World Series. This latest playoff blunder shouldn’t rest squarely on his shoulders, as his bullpen was terrible & his offense let him down, but it’s just business to fire a manager after a letdown like the Dodgers had.

- Who would’ve thought that the St. Louis Cardinals & The San Francisco Giants would be the most successful franchises in all of baseball in recent years? I think whoever comes out of this series wins the whole thing. Both fanbases are loyal too, so it’s hard to root against them, as a fan with no bias either way. They have built top-flight organizations. Maybe the lowly Mets should take notes.

- It’s time for Odel Beckham Jr. to break out. This injury to Cruz could make Beckham, well, the next Victor Cruz.

- The whole Forg1ve3 and Re2pect stuff needs to stop. It’s already jumping the shark. People are using it for everything. Just stop. Enough. Let Jeter have his thing and stop bastardizing and trivializing it.

- Kevin Durant could be out 6-8 weeks. I wonder how many times in Oklahoma, the front office just keeps banging their heads over letting James Harden walk for nothing.

Aaaaaaaand, that’s a wrap.
Feedback, comments, questions, hate mail can all go to:
Sean McCaffrey
BULLSMC@aol.com
@NYCTHEMIC
HipHopShortstop.com

The Dire State of New York Sports

Image Credit: workinsports.com

New York, New York, big city of dreams. The city I call home, and the city I love more than any other I’ve had the pleasure of going to. One thing about this city that never ceases to amaze me is the love its inhabitants have for their sports teams. New Yorkers love their sports and they are not afraid to tell you about it. The city and surrounding tri-state area of New Jersey and Connecticut will root for their teams through the darkest times and brightest hour because in the end, sports is life. Sports are in the fabric of the people in this city and that will never change. Unfortunately for sports fans of New York Teams, winning is not something that has become synonymous with the greatest city on Earth. It’s to the point where the city’s sports scene has become somewhat of a laughing stock on the national level, and it’s embarrassing to watch. What’s happened to New York sports and what can possibly be done to fix it?

Management Is A Lost Art In The Big Apple…

Image Credit: www.freep.com

There are 8 professional sports teams in New York City or in the surrounding areas of Long Island and New Jersey. But for arguments sake, let’s just say NYC has 8 sports teams. The Rangers, the Islanders, the Jets, the Giants, the Knicks the Nets, the Yankees and the Mets. Before we continue, let’s do a little math. From 2001 to 2013 there was the opportunity for 96 championships to be won between all 8 teams. Out of 96 opportunities, New York City claimed just 3 titles. The New York Giants in 2007 and 2011, and the New York Yankees in 2009; that’s it. Meanwhile in Boston, the sports town New Yorkers hate the most next to Philadelphia, their four sports teams won 8 championships. They have half the teams but almost triple the championships. But why? New York has money, the prestige, the fans, and everything else Boston has. The difference between the two cities is how the teams are run and by whom.

The only organization that I can truly look at and say they’ve had a good plan on how to get things done would be the Giants. The Giants aren’t a franchise that’s concerned about winning the back-pages of New York papers. Year after year New York media and even some fans always call for Tom Coughlin’s head coach. And twice Coughlin has gone on to stop the New England Patriots from adding to their Boston sports titles while adding to New York’s. Imagine had the Patriots won at least one of the match-ups between the Giants. Boston would have quadrupled the amount of trophies NYC had with half the teams. But the Giants window seems to have closed and the era of Eli Manning as star quarterback and Tom Coughlin as two-time winning head coach seem to be over. Other than the Giants every other front office has been pretty much inept. The Yankees have one ring in the last 12 years, but their process of just over-paying past their prime players as not bore any fruit. The Mets owners have seemed clueless since the last time the Mets went to the World Series in 2000 where they lost to the Yankees. The Nets just got to the city but between Mikhail Prokhorov using the Nets as a toy and GM Billy King seemingly operating with careless disregard for draft-picks, the Nets won’t be good for years to come. The Jets have been a joke in recent memory with signings like Tim Tebow, and Rex Ryan Promises couple with Mark Sanchez shenanigans have made the Jets look foolish on multiple levels. No one knows what the Islanders are doing and it’s safe to say most of the tri-state other than Long Island even cares to find out. And the Knicks and Rangers are both owned by one of the worst owners in sports who has no idea what he’s doing and hasn’t know what’s he’s doing for years in James Dolan. Owners of New York teams want to win but have gone about it the way that used to work in the past, just throw money at the best players and let them rise to the top. But the landscape of sports has changed. Players have options when it comes to money and endorsements now that they didn’t in the past. As long as the player is great no one cares about where he plies his trade, as long as he can sell product. Leaving New York to fight it out with other markets and over-paying immensely for older past their prime sports stars. But has New York come out of the worst of it? There are some signs of hope on the horizon.

A New and Improved Way of Thinking?...

As poor as management as been for NYC teams in recent memory, I think we are starting to see a shift in the right direction with at least a few of the teams. The Rangers and Knicks who are both owned by James Dolan are in the beginning stages of sport makeovers if you will. Dolan brought in the Zen Master Phil Jackson to be the president of basketball operations and has claimed he is going to stay out of Phil’s way and let him re-shape the team into a contender like they were throughout the entire 1990’s. I’m already seeing Jackson pulling string behind the scenes and making little changes here and there to quietly get this team back to where they should be. They have Carmelo Anthony as their franchise player, they have a coach in Derrick Fisher that Jackson trusts, and in the summer of 2015 they’ll have cap space to add more pieces around Carmelo. It’s a start.

The Rangers made it to the Stanley Cup Finals last years and had they played smart hockey in the first two games, the Blueshirts could have been Stanley Cup Champions. Unfortunately things didn’t go the Rangers way but it’s definitely a good sign. The Rangers signed their own franchise star Henrik Lundqvist to a long-term deal which shows intent. They have a good roster of old players and younger players with a lot of potential like Chris Kreider that can help them build on last year’s playoff run as well. Head coach Alain Vigneault operates completely different than 99% of the people in the city he’s coaching in. He’s always calm and reserved, not brash, just always there watching and paying attention and tweaking where need be. He’s a stark contrast to former coach John Torterlla who eventually wore out his welcome in NYC. The Rangers are in a good place so let’s hope this continues.

Image Credit: DailyNews.com

It’s far too soon to say the Jets are headed in the right direction but last season they were a far better football team than people expected them to be. This past off-season has been relatively quiet and they made some pretty good acquisitions in Erik Decker, Chris Johnson and Michael Vick to help bolster their rosters. They have Geno Smith that still has a lot to prove, but unlike the Mark Sanchez debacle, Rex Ryan is putting weapons around Smith for him to grow. The Jets have done far too much dumb in recent times for anyone to immediately give them the benefit of the doubt, but it seems that maybe things are definitely changing in the culture of the Jets; and in a season or two they can really start making some noise. No more flashy signings, just really good ones to keep progressing.

The Jury is still out on the rest of the NY sports teams in my opinion. The Mets have some good young arms so lets see what Mets management does to help them. But the three aforementioned NYC teams are the ones that all look headed in the right direction. New York is far too great a city for its sports teams not to be in contention every single year in every single sport. But nothing changes if nothing changes. Only the men with the power and the checkbooks can affect change. Hopefully as a collective NYC’s power player owners wise up and return NY to sports prominence. The City will be waiting. 

By Frantz Paul

Twitter: @LSN_Frantz

Modern Day Football: A DIFFERENT perspective from a mans point of view, thoughts on the NFL, and more.

Image Credit: captaincomeback.wordpress.com

​Leading into Kickoff weekend of the 2014 NFL season, there were a few conversations I was privy to. One of the most intriguing comments was one I read in passing by HipHopShortstop.com founder Dana Pellotta. It was a comment that was as unfavorable to the sport of football as it was favorable to cultural inspection. Regardless on which side of the line you stand on: Football as America’s Game or, as Ms. Pellotta would have antagonized so eloquently, Pigskin for Pig Men, the all-everything to this website forces your hand to defend- and everyone knows, defense wins championships (so I’ll probably vie for a high draft pick).

 

​One might interject that the previously mentioned Ms. Posada- I mean Pellotta was just taking offense to the birth of the NFL season as the football’s first Sunday shared its 24-hour time slot with Derek Jeter Day. As she is a die-hard Yankee fan who literally where’s that affection on her wrist, I could sympathize with that. However, one would be remiss to devalue America’s Sport in the name of America’s Pastime- and as an alumni of the University of Michigan, I’m sure number 2 in your scorecards and number 1 in your hearts would hardly debate that.

 

​So now that all the pretext has been laid, we get to the question: why do men, “pig” or otherwise, gravitate towards the gridiron?

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​Firstly, it’s a trick question. If you look from the stands to the media boxes; and from the commercials to the barrooms, the gender split has quantitatively lessened. While some traditionalists might call it a “neutering” of the game, football has become more about Americana than about masculinity. It’s a game that promises you nothing more than 16 Sundays as fan of any given franchise. 16 chances to prove your worth, you and your pride versus that of your competition. Now, one can say that is the point of any sport. True, but seldom is every chance so dire and the pound-for-pound physical nature of the exhibition so instrumental to the challenge.

 

​Those elements of pride and the pursuit to dominate might as well be flavor hybrids of Apple Pie or Hamburgers.  They are as characteristic of American culture is as you could find. The fact that the sport is even called “football” is pretty much the country saying we have the balls to call it football while the rest of the world throws its collective arms up in the audacity of America to proclaim its universal namesake as “soccer”.

 

​If one were to still ascertain the gender politics of football, however, it might be a perspective that turns on itself. It’s not the ‘60’s or ‘70’s anymore where linemen are hiding brace knuckles under their athletic tape and Good Lord forbid a defender’s line of vision touches a receiver after five yards! Just as the rules of the game have changed, so has its culture. A culture that has mirrored the progressive time of the very country it reflects. As always, you have the blue collar fans who probably heard their first Hail Mary on the television before hearing it in church, dawning their fathers’ favorite team’s colors as if it was as obligatory as their surname; but there has been as influx of a diversified demographic in the sport as there has been in all other subcultures throughout the world. And for every proverbial Dungeon and Dragon fan that has been adopted via the advent of Fantasy Football is a member of the “normative male” society that has crossed over to “Geek Culture” through that very same game, let alone lining up for midnight releases and online play of the annual Madden franchise.  I’m not here to speak for any man of football’s past, but I’m pretty sure the bulk of us would have a good mind to disown a bunch of us who have a near 50/50 split of team loyalty to fantasy team loyalty. It’s a sickening feeling when you actually think about it.

 

​As a New Yorker, I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this conversation. “C’mon Big Blue! You got this Eli (already you know we are dealing with rose-colored glasses. And then they are picking the plays as to seem as much of an aficionado to both the company surrounding him and the anchors on the TV who can’t hear him). Touchdown GGGGGGG-MEN! NO! HYNOSKI?! What are you doing? Victor Cruz would have Salsa Danced me to victory!” We would have gotten smacked so hard by our older generations during week one with that kind of comment that we’d be drinking turkey stew out of a straw on Thanksgiving. It’s a different culture, and as a sport, it has changed within the capsule it lives.  In no way is there finger pointing on the part of this observer, as I’m as much embedded into those norms as the rest of the football-watching universe. Perhaps, though, my perspective just allows me not full-scale ostracize what black-and-white historical fandom would when we ourselves would be part of that critique.

Joel Grayson

Twitter: @grayson715

New York Giants Football Camp Review: brief interview with Shaun O'Hara and Kareem McKenzie from the 2008 Super Bowl Championship team, footage of the camp, and more!

I attended a FREE Giants practice camp last Tuesday!

My friend and I got to Quest Diagnostics Training Center, in East Rutherford New Jersey, RIGHT across from MetLife Stadium, at about 4pm. The line was already long, and it only got longer throughout the hour, before they let us in, around 5pm. When we got inside, free t-shirts were handed out. The players were on the field, and a line formed on the other side of the field, for an autograph signing with Giants alumni, Shaun O'Hara, and Kareem McKenzie.

The 2008 Super Bowl winning champs were signing autographs and taking pictures with fans, for quite a while. The line was moving rather slow, but I knew this was a good thing...

When I got up to the front of the line, I asked them both if they would be willing to do a quick interview, for my website. They were more then happy to do so!

Check out this video from the Giants camp, followed by a brief interview with Shaun O'Hara, and Kareem McKenzie!